Feelings Are Complicated
by ShawnaTheLee
Summary: Aftermath of the Loki incident and the Avengers recruits an agent who has history with half of the team. Read on, folks ! Tony/Pepper Natasha/Bruce Clint/O.C pairings. Rated T for later chapters. Please review for more !
1. Chapter 1: Small World

**Disclaimer**: All characters of 'The Avengers' belongs to Marvel comics and what not. However, KATHERINE is MINE. ^_^ Here goes…

**Setting:** Aftermath of the Loki incident, the Avengers now reside in the newly assembled Avenger's building in the heart of Manhattan.

"Avengers," Fury's deep voice echoed across the room "As of recent events, I'm introducing a new team member for training." His head turned to look at each of the men sat before him. "For next time there's a 'fun event'."

"Just when I thought it would finally get interesting..." Stark rolled his eyes.

"Well, the more the merrier, right?" the Captain folded his arms, disregarding the comment.

Fury sighed. "Regardless, I'd appreciate you all to play nice."

In perfect timing, the door slid open and all spun their chairs around to see a petite, dark-haired woman leaning on the frames with a smile on her face. Her long hair was tied into a messy bun and her uniform fitted her as though she was modelling for the Milan Fashion Show. To Natasha, Clint and Tony, it was a rather delightful surprise to see this familiar face and be enchanted by those brightly lit hazel eyes.

"Kat?" Tony grinned, shoving the chair away on the path to hugging her. "Hey, Kitty Kat!"

"And hello to you to, Metal Head," Kat flopped in his arms helplessly. "You had me genuinely worried with that missile stunt, old man."

"That's what you get for leaving us so soon."

Thor and the Captain stood up to greet the newbie. "Steve Rogers, ma'am, nice to meet you."

"Hello~! I'm Katherine," she smiled. "You can just call me Kat, uh, sir."

The Star-Spangled-Banner laughed. "It's just Steve, ma'am. Welcome on board."

She moved along to Thor, who knelt and kissed her hand. Kat laughed away her blush and did her infamous 'fanged smile' in embarrassment. She moved along to Natasha and Banner, who were happily smiling – to her surprise – and was told the big news of their near union.

"Aw, Nat, congratulations!" Kat hugged the girl tightly. "I'm so happy for you."

Clint was next in line, standing stiff as a board. "Hi."

"Small world," Kat smiled, curious of what he was thinking. "I could use some practice with the bow. I'm kinda rusty."

"Sure," the corner of his mouth lifted. "And my kicks are getting worse, so it's a fair trade."

Steve leaned in close to Natasha and whispered, "They're cosy."

"We go _way_ back," Tony commented lightly, watching the two interact. He turned to Natasha. "Twenty bucks says they like each other."

Natasha shook his hand. "You're on."

After the meet and greet with everyone, Kat got settled into her room, which was coincidentally on the top floor, allowing her to see the brilliant New York skyline at night. It was magical; the twinkling of lights reminded her of the finest diamonds and the rich velvet sky just created an atmosphere like no other. This was home.  
After a quiet dinner in her studio room, she made her way to see Pepper, who was pregnant with the couple's first child. She couldn't imagine Tony as a dad but nonetheless she was happy for them.

"Hello..?" Kat peaked inside after knocking.

"Oh, Kat! Hey, just on time," Pepper's voice came from inside. "Come on in."

The youngest team member entered the master suite slowly, taking in the modern detailing of the newly constructed nest of the love birds. Tony was sitting beside his wife on the bed, his head resting on her belly. They looked so happy.

"You gotta feel this little fella, he's a kicker." Tony smiled.

Kat joined them and put a hand on the belly. There was a small kick and she felt the miracle of life underneath her fingers. "That's pretty amazing…congratulations."

"Why so sad, little one?" Pepper asked.

Kat shrugged. "Everyone is doing so well – I mean, Nat's getting married and you guys are building a family…what the hell am _I _doing with my life?"

"You're joining the rank of the Earth's greatest superheroes and living within a few blocks of the best Shwarma joint in America," Tony pointed out. "Oh, and you're gonna be an aunty to the cutest little kicker in the universe~!"

"Alright, I should leave before you turn all gooey," the guest got up and headed towards the door, waving casually as she went. "Bye guys."

It was only 9:30PM and Kat had no idea what to do. She did wanted to go out to explore the New York attractions, but going solo didn't really appeal to her. What good was the greatest city in the world without someone to share it with? Kat shrugged and headed to the kitchen, hoping to steal some desserts.  
On the way there, Kat literally bumped into an old friend.

"Oh, sorry! I'm so clumsy," Kat apologised, feeling a bruise coming on her arm. "Are you alright?"

Clint chuckled. "Yeah, I'll live. Trouble sleeping?"

"Just bored, I guess," Kat smiled. "Hey, are you feeling okay? No offence, but you look like hell."

Clint coughed, feeling dizzy all of the sudden.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," she helped him up and guided him to his room. "Let's get you on your way back to health…if you need anything, I'm just down the hall."

"Is that an excuse to give me your number?" Clint smirked weakly.

"Totes, tutts," Kat pulled the blanket over his chest. "I'll get you some water."

As she was getting the water from the kitchen area of Clint's apartment, she couldn't figure out what the hell she was feeling happy about. Maybe it was the fact that she finally found something to do, or because she knew that she was helping Clint…  
Kat shrugged it off and continued getting her patient a glass of water.

"Here's your water, Mr Birdy…" Kat was stunned to see Clint asleep with his guard down. "Aw…this is what America's deadliest assassin looks like when he's sleeping."

She laughed to herself and placed the glass of water onto the bedside table when Clint woke up and grabbed her wrist. Kat jumped slightly. "Holy Hulk, Clinton, you scared me!"

"Kat…stay here." Clint whispered. "Please?"

Kat nodded. "Cause you said please. I'll stay until you fall asleep."

As Clint drifted off to sleep, Kat pulled up a chair and sat beside him, wiping off sweat from his forehead with a wet towel. She remembered the last time they met in Morocco and how he saved her ass with his good aim and quick thinking. After that incident, she knew she owed him her life, no matter how many times he said to forget about it.

Just after Clint fell asleep, Kat also drifted off in the chair, her hand lingering on his arm.


	2. Chapter 2: Viva Las Vegas

**Chapter Two: Viva Las Vegas**

**Disclaimer**: All characters of 'The Avengers' belongs to Marvel comics and what not. However, KATHERINE is MINE. ^_^ Here goes…  
**A/N: **I'd like to thank Katheryne B for the review and follow, also Mhunter for favourite-ing and toutie743 for following this story. And also to everyone that read this story from the USA to France, much love. This means a lot to me, thanks so much guys. This chapter's for you all.

The next morning at around 10AM, Kat stirred in her bed, stretching freely like a cat. Then she remembered that she didn't go to her room the night before…She stopped moving and sat up all in one second, her bun fell apart and long hair strands covered part of her face. Kat slowly turned to her right to find Clint fast asleep faced down onto the pillow, with one arm around Kat's waist. The girl's eyes widened with sudden realisation and rolled herself right off the bed onto the marble floor.

"Duuude..!" Kat squirmed after landing on her derrière. "My butt…is no more…"

Clint woke up at the thump with a jump. He realised that it was his colleague's clumsiness and chuckled before sitting up. "Are you okay down there?"

"Uh, yep, if you don't count my ass cheeks bruising, I'm alright." Kat grumbled.

"Sorry that I didn't wake you up," the bow master got out of bed and helped the girl to the lounge area in his studio apartment. "You looked so peaceful; I didn't want to wake you."

Kat smiled weakly. "To be fair, I gave you a black eye the last time you woke me up."

The pair laughed and chorused. "Morocco."

After a cup of coffee and mocha (in Kat's case), the guest decided that it was best to leave. Kat gathered her hair into order and headed towards the door. "Well, I should get going."

Clint walked her to the door, not really sure what to make of last night, even though nothing happened. "Thanks for taking care of me last night. You didn't have to do that."

"Yeah, but I wanted to." She smiled deviously. _Am I flirting right now?_ She thought to herself.

Clint nodded, watching her leave. He wasn't really sure why he did what he did. The Clint Barton that he knew would've just left her there and not give a damn, but it seems as though the ruthless bow master has a soft spot for his bright-eyed neighbour. Heavens forbid, as Kat left Clint's suite, her hair all messy and wearing the same clothes she did yesterday, Tony Stark was on his way to Clint's room. Tony knocked repeatedly.

Clint opened with an annoyed expression on his face. "You know there's a thing called a phone, right?"

"Are you and Kat doing the _wild thing_ ?" Tony raised his eye brows.

"What? – No!" Clint frowned. "Why are you at my door, Tony?"

"You haven't heard? I'm the new owl around here since EVERYONE KEEPS USING ME!" the billionaire directed his frustration at the security cameras. "So…Fury wants to see you, I don't know why he can't just use the comms, but all the same."

Clint nodded. "Fine."

"Bring your girlfriend too, lover boy."

"NOT my girlfriend…" he yelled after Tony but the man waved it off. Feeling a little frustrated as ever after confronting the narcissistic (dumb-ass) genius, Clint made his way to Kat's room. He was about to knock when the door opened. "Kat?"

"Clint, I was about to go see you – Fury wants to speak to us." The girl emerged from her room in her new uniform, her hair plaited up and curled into a bun.

"Yeah, I got the same memo, except mine was more annoying." Clint noted as they made their way to the board room.

As they stood in silent, Kat noticed something peculiar. "I wonder why they didn't use the comms for that. Something's up."

In the board room of the Avenger's Tower, the one-eyed General was waiting for the arrival of his two agents, sitting with his arms crossed. They finally arrived together with a slight look of curiosity on their faces. The two agents sat across each other.

"You're probably wondering why there's only two of you in this room," the General said. "I called you both here privately for a mission. One that requires your skillsets."

Clint and Kat exchanged looks. "What's the play?" Clint asked.

"Agent Barton, Agent Torrington, your mission is to infiltrate the Bellagio Casino and retrieve the core of Antonio Acarra's laptop." Fury laid down the information files on the table. "It's a clean ghost protocol; easy in, easy out."

"What happens when he finds out that there's a chunk missing from his gear?" Kat asked, flipping through the pages.

"You'll replace the real core drive with a dummy."

Clint skimmed the files. "What do you need me for?"

Fury headed towards the door. "You, Agent Barton, will be her back up and you'll provide Agent Torrington a clear path. I suggest you replace the explosives on your bows to stunners."

"You don't want us to take Acarra out?" Kat asked, suddenly not the bright and cheerful fuzz ball that she usually was.

"Acarra is an asset to S.H.E.I.L.D and we have orders to 'overlook' this man and secure the device," Fury explained with all seriousness. "You will not come within one metre of him; your mission is the core. Agents?"

Clint and Kat nodded in confirmation and watched Fury exit the room. The two field agents sat in silent for a while, taking in their mission and outlined their every move. Within the hour of accepting their mission, Clint and Kat were on a plane to Las Vegas as night fell.  
All was well, until they reached the destined villa with armed guards at the door and corners.

"Ok, Hawkeye, you're up." Kat whispered into the comms, making her way to the elevator in a stunning tight, black crystal-lined gown with her long hair down into a one sided roll.

Guards dropped just as she reached the corner, when Clint stopped shooting and starred at the woman approaching him. He was so preoccupied that one of the guard spotted Kat and the two engaged in a hand's on fight. Clint blew his cover and ran towards the scene by a mere second too late. The bouncer swiped Kat's leg and she hit the floor hard, head first. Clint took him out before helping his partner up. "Hey, look at me."

Kat shook her head and sat up. "We have to keep moving, I'm okay."

Clint was reluctant but he knew she was right. "You go in, I'll cover you."

It took Kat an estimate of two minutes to switch the core of the targeted laptop as Clint cleared the unconscious bodies of bodyguards into an empty room. The mission was successful and the pair headed towards the elevator when there was an eerie 'PING' of the elevator.

"Shit! Acarra!" Kat gritted her teeth.

Clint stopped walking and pushed her against the wall of the hallway, both arms caging her in. "Play along."

As the doors of the elevator slid opened, Antonio Acarra snorted at a couple of drunken idiots making out by the corridor. The girl's right leg was hitched to the man's waist as his hand ran along her smooth thighs. Their kiss deepened as Acarra walked past and it proved to be a successful disguise as he ignored them both. Kat panted heavily when Clint took a breath, releasing her leg from his hold. They hurried into the elevator and jammed the ground floor button, still posing as a couple.

"Sorry about that." Clint said whilst adjusting his bowtie.

Kat, still blushing, pulled down her short dress. "It, ahem, it worked, so we're good."

Clint smirked in amusement at her pink cheeks and offered her his arm. They safely exited the casino and headed to the airport with their gears in hand and a fluttering stomach.  
Was it wrong that Clint slightly enjoyed that little stunt?


	3. Chapter 3: New Life

**Chapter Three: New Life**

**Disclaimer**: All characters of 'The Avengers' belongs to Marvel comics and what not. However, KATHERINE is MINE. If you want an exclusive (self-made) wallpaper, just ask. ^_^ Here goes…  
**A/N: **Thanks to all of the reviews, follows and even anonymous visitors to this story, it really makes me proud to know that you guys like this fragment of my imagination. If anyone have any ideas just review, PM or tweet me ** LeeShawna96** and I'll definitely reply. So here's the next little bit of the Kat/Clint adventure.

By the time Clint and Kat got back to New York, they were exhausted from all the action with hopes of reaching their soft, fluffy beds. However, Kat was in her 'Processing Mode' about Clint's little 'stunt'; her mind blew up every time she thought about it. The man himself seemed perfectly fine, apart from a few scratches here and there; he was the usually quiet Clint that everyone was used to. After a short taxi ride from the airport, they arrived at the Tower, only to find ambulance vehicles littering the courtyard with nurses running around in and out of the building.

"What the-?" Kat cringed.

Clint tensed his muscles at the mysterious, chaotic scene. "Let's go and find out what the hell is going on."

The two agents barely reached the elevator to the board room when Kat was snatched away by the powerful force of Thor's arms. Clint dodged the big guy and fell onto his back while Kat blurted out a rather unfeminine yelp.

"Put me down, Thor!" Kat hissed. "Before I rip out your hair with my bare hands and give you a bold patch!"

Realising the threatening extinction of his fabulous golden mane, Thor slowed down and released his grip, settling the human onto the safety of the marble floor. Kat took deep breaths in and out to calm her pulse down, giving Thor the evil eyes in the process. "Explain yourself, Goldilocks."

"Pepper is giving birth to her baby upstairs," Thor explained, walking ahead. "She asked for you."

"Me?" Kat frowned.

Why would Pepper want _her_ to be there out of all the doctors in this building? Kat was an agent of many talents, but midwifery was definitely _not_ one her resume. With no sight of any of the Avengers around, Kat and Thor made their way to the master suite. Chaos filled the room; all of the Avengers members and S.H.E.I.L.E.D agents crowded by the entrance, which made it near impossible to squeeze through, while Pepper's painful screams filled the living room. Two doctors were present, one monitoring Pepper's pulse while the other was a midwife and there was also a pale Tony Stark, crouching beside the couch where his wife laid.

"Well, you guys don't need me, so I'll go wait out-" Kat rambled, only to be cut off by Pepper's scream.

"Where is KATHERINE?!" with that terrifying growl, Kat rushed to Pepper's other side, took her sweaty hand and held it.

"You're gonna be okay, boss," the girl said, turning the other way. "Don't let nine months of physical torture go to waste."

Meanwhile, the forgotten Clint finally made it to the Stark suite and joined his colleagues outside the entrance. Everyone was more anxious than excited, as they were not in an equipped hospital but rather the bedroom suite of the metal chuckle head. The only medical substance (or close to it) in there was alcohol. Luckily, Natasha was the only calm one when Pepper's water broke and called the ambulance, while the other idiots were panicking.  
Roughly forty minutes later, the doctors excited the room and all was eager to know what was going on.

Kat appeared at the door frame. "It's a boy."

Thor cheered while the rest sighed in relief that the mother and baby were safe. As the team entered the room to see the new baby, Kat leaned against the wall just beside the door, catching her breath. Clint noticed the shimmering glint of sweat on Kat's face and the forming black bags under her eyes.

"Did you sleep on the flight?" Clint stood opposite her, his mind wondered off-topic to how her hair changed colour under direct sunlight.

Not sure of what to what to say, Kat nodded.

Clint smiled awkwardly. "I'll go get you a glass of water."

"Thanks."

As Kat watched Clint walk away, she felt a warm, liquid substance running down her nose. She wiped it off her upper lip to figure it out. "Ah, lovely." Thick, red blood ran down her nose and the room got darker and darker. Kat felt her legs loosened and slid down the wall, flopping to the ground with a loud 'thunk' that caught Clint's attention. He spun around and was alarmed by the sight of a bloody Kat-mess on the floor.

"Kat?" he rushed to her aid. "Katherine?!"

**NOTE: Sorry for the short chapter, guys. I'll definitely be uploading the next chapter within 24 hours. I'm taking suggestions on reviews and twitter for Baby Stark's first name. I'm drawing a blank...O.O**


	4. Chapter 4: A Drop in the Ocean

**Chapter Four: A Drop in the Ocean**

**Disclaimer**: All characters of 'The Avengers' belongs to Marvel comics and what not. However, KATHERINE is MINE. ^_^ Here goes…

**A/N: **Thanks for everyone's interest in this story and reading to this stage, I'm thankful and humbled by all of the comments, follows and reviews. Feel free to suggest plot ideas, I'm writing as I go, so there's no definite plot. Sorry about the lateness, I did not anticipate a plane flight yesterday (MAJOR LETLAG). I'm glad to share this adventure with you all, because even _I _don't know what will happen. XD Here's a clip of the fanfic: /watch?v=TPi4rB5v8iY

As sombre atmosphere filled the infirmary at the Avenger's Tower as Clint sat beside the form of Kat's unconscious body, listening to the eerie beeps of the heartbeat monitor. How could he be so stupid to overlook a check-up after that fall that she took? He knew better than that and because of his stupidity, his partner got hurt. The doctor concluded that the damage was a cerebral haemorrhage (bleeding in the brain) at a lower level and after prescribed medication, she'd be fine. Every time he thought about it he wished it him in that bed, him who took the fall – not _her_. During the long four hours of waiting by Katherine's side, Clint confronted the odd new feelings he'd developed for this one girl, even after being hurt by Natasha, he cared for Kat the way that he'd never knew he could.  
While busy with the new born baby, each member took turns visiting Kat in the infirmary, but Clint stayed the whole time.

He squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry, Katherine."

Clint quickly retreated his hand at the sound of the opening door and spun himself around in the chair to see a nurse. "Sir, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave now. The patient needs her rest."

He nodded and watched her leave, and stood up reluctantly off the chair, his gaze lingering on her face. Clint leaned down and planted one small kiss on Kat's cheek before backing away and headed for the door, oblivious to the fluttering of eyelashes.

"You missed." even in a weak whisper, Kat managed to sound like a smartass.

Clint's eyes widened and he stopped within his tracks before almost skipping to Kat's side. "Welcome back." He smiled lightly before pressing the assistance button for the nurse. "Kat, I'm sorry."

"Stop it, Clint, don't be a pathetic whimp," Kat starred at her partner. "It was all in the past. I'm fine, see?"

He focused on the oxygen tubes and the needle that stuck in her arms and shook his head in disbelief.

"Well, that's one life I'll never get back. Eight more to go." She joked, wincing as the nurse removed the needle in her arm.

After helping Kat to her room, Clint went to see the Stark family and tell the others about Kat's recovery. He barely reached the Stark suite when he was joined by Kat, in her ordinary everyday clothes with more colour in her cheeks.

"Thanks for watching over me," she walked up to meet him. "The nurse told me."

Clint nodded. "It was because of me that you were in there."

Kat placed a hand on his arm and took down her smartass façade. "Don't."

Interrupting the moment as always, Tony suddenly appeared at the door frame. He stood there for a second and took in Kat's infamous bubbly, idiotic grin. Despite his usual witty remarks, Tony remained silent as he hugged Kat tightly.

"Tony, I'm fine." Kat's said, her voice muffled into Tony's shoulder. "Now where's my nephew?"

"Alexander is right inside," Tony blinked. "I'm glad you're safe."

Kat smiled and walked past him into the master suite, leaving Clint behind. Tony turned to the marksman and Clint really thought he would get slapped, but Tony just went easy on him. "Thanks for taking care of my cousin."

"It was my fault she was even in there in the first place," Clint explained. "I'm sorry."

Tony genuinely smiled. "You won't change the past even if you regret it."

Clint thought back to the similar thing Kat said to him. "I can see how you too are related."

Meanwhile, on the inside of the newly formed nursery, Tony and Agent Hill were all cooing around baby Evan's bassinette. Kat jammed in between the two taller figures and swoon over her adorable baby nephew. Clint watched from the outside of the room, just observing from afar. His phone rang just at that moment.

"Hello?" he answered it with a flip.

Kat lost Evan to the two elves and decided to retreat as they stole him. She wondered out of the suite to see the familiar sight of Clint's back towards her as he engaged in the phone call. The girl wanted to surprise him and slowly crept up behind the guy, ever so quietly on her tippy toes, when she overheard something she didn't want to hear.

(While reading this next section, the recommended song is 'A Drop in the Ocean' by **Ron Pope**.)

"…call me when you go into labour – I'll be there." He said with a hint of seriousness in his voice. "Bye."

Clint had a weird feeling of someone standing behind him while he was on the call, but to his dismay, no one was around but him. He was sure he knew who it was, too. Barton overlooked the large splats of teardrops at his feet and went inside the master suite to see the new baby, hoping to find his partner there.

"Has anyone seen Kat?" he asked.

Tony shrugged while Pepper frowned. "She went outside just a minute ago."

Clint grimaced, not sure if something was wrong or maybe Kat just needed her space. Nonetheless, he was occupied with baby Evan's cuteness and stayed in the nursery. On the roof top of the Avengers Tower, Katherine Torrington sat at the edge with her arms around her knees and starred at the beautiful New York skyline, letting her tears decorate the stones. Natasha had told her about Clint's previous relationship and how seriousness it was, but Kat did _not_ anticipate that there was a precious baby involved. She was wrong to interfere.

"Kat?" a deep voice came from the fire exit door of the rooftop.

She turned around to see Steve Rogers approaching her, in his normal clothes, officially off duty. "Oh, hey, Captain."

He sat beside her, facing the opposite direction. "What's wrong, Katherine?"

The girl wiped away her tears. "I have an allergy to…pollens."

"It's the winter." He noted.

"I'm also allergic to Loki's," she shrugged. "Even though he's on the opposite side of Town."

The Captain was surprised to see Kat like this – she was usually very bubbly and funny, but it felt like all of her happiness was drained out of her. "I'm right here if you want to talk about it."

"There's noting _to_ talk about," Kat said, sounding more and more upset. "I was stupid for believing in the God's stupid game called love – I let someone in and I got shot down. Excuse me for being young, but feelings are damn complicated."

Kat finally broke into a hysterical cry and Steve wrapped his arms around her tiny body and sat in silent while she cried into his shirt, patting her hand with his left hand. "It's alright, Katherine."

At the most spontaneous timing, Clint's search for Katherine reached the rooftop and he was greeted by the sight of his target wrapped in Steve Roger's embrace. He thought about all the pain that he'd been through and how they all formed into one powershot and struck him in the heart right at that moment. Kat realised Clint standing by the door with a blank expression on his face and pulled away from Steve's arms, her eyes wide with fear that he would mistake this for something else.

"I see." Clint noted and smiled bitterly before slamming the door behind him.


	5. Chapter 5: Safe House

**Chapter Five: **No Complications

**Disclaimer**: All characters of 'The Avengers' belong to Marvel comics and what not. However, Katherine Torrington is MINE. ^_^ Here goes…

**A/N**: I got a positive feedback so far for the last chapter, I hope people enjoyed it. Letting you in on a secret, Clint originally kissed Katherine's lips but it would've been too easy. Here's chapter five and from now on, I'll be publishing according to US PST (+08:00) time. Thanks again for your support, and don't forget to check out the cute video. ** watch?v=TPi4rB5v8iY (YouTube)**

Kat and Steve sat still in an uncomfortable silence. The Captain was speechless, for the first time in weeks – he wasn't totally lost but it didn't seem like it was _his_ place to point it out. But he knew it had to be said. "You two like each other." Before they took another breath, Kat's phone began to vibrate uncontrollably and flashed a red alert. It was time to work.

She finally got a hold of herself and began to head for the door with Steve not far behind. "Please don't mention this to anyone."

Steve nodded briefly before watching Kat disappear down the many flights of stairs.

Meanwhile, Agent Maria Hill briefed Clint and Kat about their mission as they made their way to a helicopter as time was not on their side. It was a simple skills evaluation where they were to be tested in a virtually stimulated recreation of a battlefield and given target to protect. S.H.E.I.L.E.D held these so-called 'tests' every month or two to keep their 'Best of the Best' in line and on point. This time, it was Clint and Kat's turn.

"You'll have just enough time to retrieve the hostage and bring them back to safety before it all goes dark – however, if you return without a hostage, the safe-house will _not_ accept you," she nodded to them before standing back as they took off. "Good luck."

During the whole exercise the two agents had limited eye contacts and made little use of their communication systems. It didn't seem possible during the time, but both of these individuals would look back at their first argument and laugh. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.  
At the ten minute to detonation mark, Clint had used up his arrows and was about to sacrifice his bulletproof vest when he was saved by a long range shot of the sniper's fire. He immediately looked up and acknowledged her for the first time that night.

"Hurry up and get to the safe point or you'll be disqualified!" he yelled through the explosions.

Kat chuckled. "My hostage if already at the safe point. I'm just covering your ass!"

"What? You got shot in the ass?"

"NO, IDIOT, I'M LOOKING OUT FOR YOU!" the sniper shouted, destroying Clint's hearing altogether.

"What about you?" he asked, shielding his target by the edge of a virtual building. "You won't make it."

There was a pause. "You need this gig more than me, how are you going to support your family?"

"What are you talking about?" Clint asked, before he suddenly fitted the pieces together in his head. Everything became so clear. He _didn't _imagine someone standing behind him during his phone call – it was Kat all along. She must have overheard the wrong part of the conversation and jumped to conclusions. "Kat, I'm not having a baby. One of my close friends is having a baby."

In the middle of a rain of bullets, Kat stopped watching what she was shooting and turned towards where her colleague was hiding. Her world lightened just a little to know that he wasn't snatched away from her in the blink of an eye. Her thoughts were interrupted by JARVIS's counter attacks.

"Kat, for f**k sake get down here before you get killed!" Clint yelled, making a run for the safe-house. He chucked his hostage into the door and waited for his partner. "NOW!"

"Yes, sir!" the girl semi salute before she hauled her hostage onto her back and sprinted down the virtual fire escape with a blind leap of faith.

The two agents made it just on time before the virtual reality collapsed with their rescued victims sprawled before them. "Mission: Completed." JARVIS announced as their surroundings pixelated out and the ran-down abandoned warehouse was revealed. It may have been a virtual world, but their bruises were very real. Kat sat crossed legged on the floor and caught her breath while Clint loomed over her.

"You alright?" he asked casually, less out of breath than his partner.

Kat nodded. "Thanks for waiting for me."

Clint smiled with a small chuckle, reaching out his hand to help her up. "I'll always wait for you."


End file.
